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Can you vote with a felony in Maine?

The short answer

Yes.

Maine doesn't take away the right to vote for a felony conviction, even during a prison sentence.

Maine law lets people who are incarcerated in a correctional facility or county jail register and vote, so a criminal conviction does not take away the right to vote. A person who is incarcerated registers in the Maine municipality where they lived before incarceration, not where they are held (unless they lived there before).1,2,3,4

Checked October 30, 2026 against 6 sources, starting with Maine law, then by a second reader.

  1. In prison for a felonyCan vote2,3
  2. On paroleCan vote3
  3. On probationCan vote3
  4. Sentence completeCan vote2,3
Check with Maine's election office

Before you register

Your state or county election office can confirm your own status, for free. Voting while ineligible can carry criminal penalties, so if anything about your case is unclear, ask them first. The general election is November 3, 2026; registration deadlines are on vote.gov.

How the right comes back

Never lost

No restoration is needed. Under 21-A M.R.S. § 112(14), the voting residence of a person incarcerated in a correctional facility or county jail does not include the municipality where they are incarcerated unless they lived there before, and a person incarcerated in a correctional facility may apply to register in any municipality where they previously established a fixed and principal home to which they intend to return. The Secretary of State's Voting Residence Fact Sheet says a person incarcerated in a correctional facility or county jail is entitled to register in the Maine municipality where they lived before incarceration.2,3

Fines, fees and restitution

Not required

Because a conviction does not take away the right to vote in Maine, there is nothing to pay to get it back.3

Registering again

No need: the right isn't lost

Misdemeanors and jail

Neither misdemeanor nor felony convictions take away the right to vote; the Secretary of State says people in county jail, as well as in correctional facilities, are entitled to register.1,3,4

The Secretary of State's fact sheet says anyone incarcerated in a correctional facility or county jail is entitled to register to vote in their prior Maine municipality; it does not distinguish people held before trial.3

The law

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This page explains Maine's general rules from its law and election office. It isn't legal advice, and a case can turn on the details of a sentence. The election office can confirm your status.

Spot something out of date? Tell us at contact@secondchanceindex.com.

Cite this page

Second Chance Index, "Can you vote with a felony in Maine?" https://secondchanceindex.com/voting-rights/maine, checked October 30, 2026.

Sources

Each source was opened and checked on October 30, 2026.

  1. Me. Const. art. II, § 1
  2. 21-A M.R.S. § 112(14)
  3. Maine Voting Residence Fact Sheet (updated September 2022)Maine Secretary of State, Elections Division
  4. 21-A M.R.S. § 111, General qualificationsMaine Legislature
  5. Upcoming Elections (November 3, 2026 General Election)Maine Secretary of State
  6. Current Citizen Initiatives and People's VetoesMaine Secretary of State